Luxury, space and efficient friendly staff- The Chester provided us with all we wanted without paying for what we did not need. quiet comfortable. lenty of staff to calm us down after driving through Edinburgh's rediculous tram road closures. The room was fatastic and the bar area was welcoming and vey reasonable. Breakfast was cold collations ( perhaps should have got some eggs from the corner shop to add to it.) Our first visit but not our last I am sure -the Scotsman and Balmoral have just lost custom.

Our family of four just returned from a magical trip to Edinburgh. A highlight of our trip was our four night stay at The Chester Residence. Unlike some sites, the photos they advertised on their website paled in comparison to the actual apartment. We stayed in apartment 6/1 and were thoroughly impressed with the decor and the comfort. The two-bedroom, two-bath apartment was well layed out. The kitchen and bathrooms were beautiful. Views from both the front and back windows were lovely. We loved the apartment so much would we gladly move into it permanently! Enough with raving about the accommodations...on to the staff. Each employee we encountered was professional, personable and laser focused on customer service. Indulge! Treat yourself. The Chester Residence lives up to all the reviews before mine. As I headlined this review - sheer perfection!

This was a last minute booking that will remain in the memory for all the right reasons. From the moment you are greeted by the attentive and friendly staff to the moment you leave you'll wonder why you've stayed in other places in Edinburgh in the past. I stayed in the penthouse, which was fantastic and very luxurious, but it was the added 'extra mile' customer service touches that stood out. I ordered takeaway and when it arrived I had forgotten rice or noodles. The porter asked if he should order some and I said no it was my fault. Five minutes later he's at the door with some rice - he and the other staff downstairs had ordered a takeaway of their own and wanted me to have their rice! I declined but he insisted. What's more, he handed me a beer to enjoy with the meal. That's wow factor stuff in my book and the reason why I have no hesitation recommending this hotel.

After a fabulous ten night cruise around the islands of western Scotland, my husband and I decided we wanted to decompress a bit in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. I had already arranged for a four night stay at The Chester Residence, a property in a residential area of Edinburgh that has consistently ranked at the top of Trip Advisor's list of hotels in Edinburgh.

What makes The Chester Residence different...

The Chester Residence is not really a hotel. Instead, it's four townhouses that have apartments in them available for short term rent. These apartments are well appointed with comfortable, modern furnishings and plenty of techie gadgets, including an iPod dock, two flatscreen televisions, and a Nespresso machine. There's a small kitchen stocked with basic cooking and eating utensils

I arranged for a one bedroom apartment for 650 pounds (around $1000). I also ordered snacks to be placed in the apartment for 40 pounds and a champagne breakfast for 50 pounds. At the time of my booking, I was really excited about our trip. Unfortunately, once we arrived, things were a bit stressful because of the bad news we got about our beloved beagle, MacGregor.

Nevertheless, when we arrived, we were taken into the office at 9 Rothesay Place in Edinburgh and given a couple of glasses of champagne while we waited for our apartment to be prepared. We arrived at noon, but it was not a problem to enter the apartment early. We were assigned an apartment at the original Chester Residence, which is on Chester Street and requires a walk to the other side of the block.

The Chester Street apartments are in a very old building with high ceilings that are beautifully decorated with ornate scrolling. We were amazed by how large the apartment was. There were two full bathrooms with rainfall showers, Molton Brown toiletries, a towel rack and heated floors, a large living room with a leather couch and 32 inch flat screen television, Sky TV, and a DVD player, free Wi-Fi, a large bedroom with plenty of closet space and a flatscreen television, and a kitchen with a table, mini fridge, microwave, and two burner stove. The only thing missing was a washer and dryer!

The staff

The staff at the Chester Residence is very young but professional and friendly. The young lady who showed us our apartment was careful to give us the full tour and explained how room service works. If you want drinks delivered to your apartment or breakfast, you can just call and they'll be right over! Moreover, if you want to order in food, you can consult the binder which has restaurants that deliver or you can call the front desk, have them order the food, and they'll add the cost of the food to your hotel bill!

I also appreciated the guide to local attractions. Edinburgh has so many of them and you really have to pick and choose which ones to see.

Location

The Chester Residence is located in a business and residental area. Downtown Edinburgh is a short walk away, which can be a bad thing if you really have to pee (as I found out). There are shops, grocery stores, and restaurants within a short walking distance, but we found that once the sun was down and we were in, we were in for the night. Neither of us wanted to go out for dinner. Luckily, neither of us really needs the calories anyway!

Things I didn't like so much

Overall, we really enjoyed The Chester Residence. Our apartment was clean and comfortable and it was great to have so much room. We had no issues with noise and I loved the shower/bathtub.

That being said, I wasn't too wild about the bed. It was very low to the ground, almost like a futon. It was outfitted with nice linens, but there was only a duvet, which got hot at night, yet I would get chilled if I took it off for too long.

I noticed there were a few things that could have used repair. The button to flush the toilet in one bathroom was missing the large plastic part that makes it easier to flush. The rack in the refrigerator was a bit fragile and we had to rearrange everything to avoid having it break. One of the cabinets in the master bedroom bath looked a bit chipped up and there were a few stains on the carpet, not that that was a big deal.

The snack package I ordered was a little too heavy on cheese, potato chips, and dips. We loved the fact that they would stock the apartment for us, but would have appreciated an order form or something similar so we could order things that we like and would actually eat. As it was, we left a lot of stuff behind.

Also, we had some trouble turning the television on and off and working the microwave. Instructions for us Yanks who aren't familiar with British appliances and electronics would have been helpful. Crossing the street to get to Chester Street was difficult, too. That's not their fault, but it was a pain, especially in the evening. Everyone seems to use Chester Street as a way to get home!

Parking is available, but obviously we didn't use it. Our cab driver was not from Edinburgh and had to ask several locals where The Chester Residence is! It took several tries until he finally found someone who pointed him in the right direction.

Overall

I totally understand why people love The Chester Residence and it gets such high ratings on Trip Advisor. Overall, our stay there was very comfortable and everyone we dealt with was very professional and nice. I would recommend it wholeheartedly for anyone who needs or prefers larger accommodations in Edinburgh. It was nice to be there instead of in a cramped hotel room. However, as much as I enjoyed my stay and was wowed by the accommodations, I can't quite award five stars.